Corn-harvester.



PATENTED'MAR. 22, 1904.

H. L. BENNETT. CORN HARVESTER. AVPPLIUATION FILED MAR. 28, 1903.

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M m WM AM .PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904. H. L. BENNETT.

CORN HARVESTER. I APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2B, 1903.

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WI TNE SSE S No. 755,591. PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904.

H. L. BENNETT. CORN HARVESTER.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 28, 1903. NO MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904.

HARWELL L. BENNETT, OF WESTERVILLE, OHIO,

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 55,591, dated March 22, 1904.

Application filed March 28, 1903. Serial No. 149,919. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARWELL L. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vesterville, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement 'in Corn-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a harvesting-machine with a platform adjustable at its front and rear ends.

A further object is to construct the machine with two independent sides, so that it can be operated to cut one or two rows of corn, the mechanism at one side being adapted to be rendered inoperative when the other is cutting a row and as a corollary to this to render both sides inert when no corn is being cut.

The invention consists of an improved construction whereby these objects are accomplished and also in several other minor details, all of which are pointed out in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view, one of the guards for the stalk-carrying chain being removed. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front of the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail side view, on a larger scale, of the cutterdriving mechanism. Fig. 5 is an end view of the same partially in section, the driving chain being omitted.

The machine is shown to be constructed to simultaneously cut one or two rows of corn. The mechanism at the opposite sides of the front of the machine are symmetrical duplicates, and a description of one side will suf- At the rear end of the platform a single adjusting apparatus suffices.

The front of the machine is supported at each side by a large carrying-wheel 1, turning onashort axle 1. The carrying-wheel has affixed to it a ratchet or clutch wheel 1 A lever 2 is fulcrumed on the axle 1 and is connected at its lower end with a shaft 3, that is journaled in proper bearings fixed to the under side of the platform 4:, whereby the platform is adjustably hung from the wheels. The lever 2 stands inclined from its handle downward toward the rear of the machine and has an abutment 2 working over a segmental bracket 5 on the platform, which bracket has a series of holes 5, into any of which a locking-pin 6 can be passed to secure the said lever at different angles with respect to the platform. It is by this means the platform is adjusted-that is, raised or lowered at its front endboth sides, of course, usually being correspondingly adjusted.

Journaled loosely on the axle 1 is a large sprocket-wheel 7, having'hung in its side a pawl 8, the end of which lies in position to engage the teeth or recesses of the ratchetwheel 1 This pawl is pressed by a, spring 9, so as to be held in engagement with said teeth.

Keyed to the outer end of the shaft 3 is a smaller sprocket-wheel 10, that is engaged and driven by an endless sprocket-chain 11, running around it and the large sprocketwheel 7.

There are two of the shafts 3, each inclependent of the other, and each has at itsinner end a bevel-gear 12, meshing with a similar gear 13, fixed on a vertically-arranged rotary shaft 1 1, carrying cutting-knives 15, fixed on said shafts 14 above the platform. The rotative cutting-knives 15 coact with stationary cutting-knives 16, afiixed to the front edge of the platform.

J ournaled in the front of the machine beyond the cutter-carrying shaft 14: is a vertically-arranged idler-shaft 16 of about the same height as the shafts 1 L. Connecting these shafts are two horizontally-running sprocketchains 17 and 18, one near the lower ends and one near the upper ends of the shafts; but the upper chain 18 is furnished with carrier-fingers 18*, reaching outward into the path of the corn-row to carry the stalks toward the rear of the platform.

Arranged horizontally on the shafts 14 and 16 above the lower chain 17 is a guard-board 19, that has its front end curved inward toward the path of the corn-row, and arranged on the same shafts, near the upper ends thereof, is a guard-board 20, having its rear end curved away from said path. The curved end of the lower board assists in directing the stalks toward the cutters, and the curved rear ends of the upper board coacts with the fingers 18 in clearing the stalks from said fingers. The stalks as fast as they are cut fall down in a neatly-arranged heap on the platform, and guards 21 on the sides near the rear of the platform prevent the stalks from falling ofl V On the front of the platform, just inside the wheel, is a guide-frame 22, that has on the lower side of its forwardly and downwardly projecting front portion a curved shoe 22, that rides over inequalities of the ground. This is important, because many stalks are bent over, and the guide should reach well outwardly and low in order to take in such stalks.

The rear of the platform is made adjustable by means of a bar or frame 23, hinged to the upper side of the platform at 23, (see Fig. 1,) said bar extending rearwardly beyond the end of the platform and having swiveled therein a rear supporting-wheel 24. Attached to the rear end of the platform is a chain 25, that passes over a pulley 26, journaled in the bar 23, and is connected with a handled latch-lever 27, the latch of which engages any one of several teeth in the segmental rack 28, fixedly secured to the bar 23. By adjusting the latchlever 27 the platform can be tilted upon the shafts 3, and therefore the front end of the platform raised or lowered to control the positions of the guards 22 with respect to the ground. Supported on a frame composed of a centrally located rearwardly extending horizontal bar 29 and a vertical standard 29 at the rear of the platform is a sliding bar 30, connected to the horizontal bar 29 by a loose clip 30. This sliding bar can be pulled backward or out to form what is called the gallows or preliminary shock, about which the full shock is built.

With this machine it will be observed that either one or two rows of corn can be cut at the same time and that the machinery of one side can be disengaged, or rather stopped in its operation, by simply lifting the pawl 8 out of connection withthe ratchet 1 The platform, and therefore the cutters, can be adjusted high or low to cut correspondingly, as may be desired.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In acorn-harvester,the combination with supporting-wheels, of a platform,stalk-cutting means thereon, a drive-shaft carried by the platform and connected to one of the wheels and the stalk-cutting mechanism, means connected to the wheels and the shaft for supporting the platform from the wheels, a bar hinged to the platform and projected in rear thereof, a supporting-wheel carried by the bar, and means carried by the bar and connected to the platform for tilting the same upon the shaft.

2. In a cornharvester,the combination with supporting-wheels,ofaplatform,stalk-cutting means thereon, a drive shaft carried by the platform and connected to the cutting means, corresponding sprocket-wheels carried by the shaft and the hub of one of the wheels, a sprocket chain connecting the sprocketwheels, a ratchet-lever fulcrumed upon the hub and connected to the shaft for supporting and also for raising and lowering the platform, a rack carried by the platform for cooperation with the lever, a bar hinged to the platform and projected in rear thereof, a supportingwheel carried by the bar, and means carried by the bar and connected to the platform for tilting the same upon the shaft.

3. The combination with supporting-wheels, of a platform, a shaft carried by the platform and driven from one of the wheels, means connected to the wheels and the shaft for supporting the platform upon the wheels, a bar hinged to the platform and projected in rear thereof, a supporting-wheel carried by the bar, and means carried by the bar and connected to the platform for tilting the latter upon the shaft.

4. The combination with supporting-wheels, of a platform, a shaft carried by the platform and driven from one of the wheels, means connected to the wheels and the shaft for supporting the platform upon the wheels and capable of adjustment to raise and lower the platform without interrupting the drive connection between the shaft and the wheels, a bar hinged to the platform and projected in rear thereof, a supporting-wheel carried by the bar, and means connected to the bar and the platform for tilting the latter upon the shaft.

5. The combination with supporting-wheels,

of a platform, a shaft carried by the platform,

and driven from one of the wheels, means connected to the wheels and the shaft for supporting the platform upon the wheels, a bar hinged to the platform and projected in rear thereof, a supporting-wheel carried by the bar, a ratchet-lever carried by the bar, and a connection between the lever and the platform for tilting the latter upon the shaft.

6. The combination with supporting-wheels, having stub-axles, of a platform, a shaft carried by the platform, sprocket-wheels upon the shaft and one of the stub-axles, a sprocketchain running over the sprocket-wheels, a lever intermediately fulcrumed upon the stubaXle and pivotally connected to the shaft to constitute supporting and elevating means for the platform, means carried by the platform and cooperating with the lever to adjustably lock the latter, a bar hinged to the platform and projected in rear thereof, a supportingwheel carried by the bar, and means extending between the platform and the bar for tilting said platform upon the shaft.

7. The combination with supportingwheels, of a platform tiltably supported thereby, a bar hinged to and projected beyond the platform, a supporting-wheel for the bar, a cable-supporting guide carried by the bar, a cable connected to the platform and engaging the guide, and a ratchet-lever connected to the cable for tilting the platform upon its tiltable connection With the supporting-Wheels.

8. The combination with supporting-Wheels, of a platform tiltably carried thereby, a bar hinged to and projected at one side of the platform, a supporting-Wheel for the bar, a roller upon the bar, a cable connected to the platform and running over the roller, and means carried by the bar and connected to the cable for tilting the platform upon its tiltable connection with the supporting-Wheels.

9. The combination With supporting-Wheels,

of a platform tiltably carried thereby, a bar hinged to and projected at one side of the platform, a supporting-Wheel for the bar, a roller upon the bar, a cable connected to the platform and running over the roller, and a ratchet-lever mounted upon the bar and connected to the cable for tilting the platform upon its tiltable connection with the supporting-Wheels.

HARWELL L. BENNETT In presence of O. C. SHEPHERD, P. S. KARSHNER. 

